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In 1754, 7 colonies met to address these problems at the Albany Congress.  They considered, but did not adopt, Benjamin Franklin's Albany Plan of Union.  The Albany Plan of Union attempted to unite the English colonies with the Iroquois League in a defensive stance against New France.  Franklin published the political cartoon (shown here to the right) in order to urge unity among the colonies.

In 1754, 7 colonies met to address these problems at the Albany Congress.  They considered, but did not adopt, Benjamin Franklin's Albany Plan of Union.  The Albany Plan of Union attempted to unite the English colonies with the Iroquois League in a defensive stance against New France.  Franklin published the political cartoon (shown here to the right) in order to urge unity among the colonies.

The governor of Virginia sent a 21-year-old named George Washington to stop the French from building a fort near the site of present-day Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and to protest French attacks.  But in Western Pennsylvania, at Fort Necessity, the French defeated and captured him and his 400 troops.  They made him sign a statement in French (which George Washington did not understand) "confessing" that his men had assassinated some Frenchmen.  Then they released George Washington.  He remembered that lesson and in the Revolutionary War made sure that in the future he always had an aide who could understand French.  That future aide would be the very influential Founding Father named Alexander Hamilton.

The governor of Virginia sent a 21-year-old named George Washington to stop the French from building a fort near the site of present-day Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and to protest French attacks.  But in Western Pennsylvania, at Fort Necessity, the French defeated and captured him and his 400 troops.  They made him sign a statement in French (which George Washington did not understand) "confessing" that his men had assassinated some Frenchmen.  Then they released George Washington.  He remembered that lesson and in the Revolutionary War made sure that in the future he always had an aide who could understand French.  That future aide would be the very influential Founding Father named Alexander Hamilton, who had been homeschooled.

While George Washington was humiliated by this experience, that did not matter to the young colonies trying to assert themselves.  When he returned to Virginia was treated as their hero.  

While George Washington was humiliated by this experience, that did not matter to the young colonies trying to assert themselves.  When he returned to Virginia was treated as their hero.